I Need Your Shirt
by GeneHarlow
Summary: After questioning Norma about Annika Johnson's death, Alex realises he needs her shirt as evidence, and Norma responds with her usual calm and reasonable reaction. ;) "You want it so bad?" She sneered at him, immensely enjoying his discomfort, shimmying the stained shirt off her shoulders and balling it up in her hands. "Here. Take it."


_Chaos seems to swirl around you, and I'm not sure why._

 _And I want to believe you're telling me everything you know, but none of this makes any sense._

"I know!" She threw her hands in the air, shaking her head like she was as baffled as he was. "I don't know what to tell you, Alex. She came, she disappeared, she died. It's... it's horrible, but I don't think I can offer you any more information."

She rose from the kitchen table on unsteady feet.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, it's been a very long night and I really need to check on my son so-"

"No. Norma, we're not done here." He protested, as she swept past him, making it to the doorway before he stopped her.

"Yes we are Alex. You can let yourself out-" She was cut off as he grasped her arm roughly, pushing her back against the doorframe.

She raised her head defiantly, her nostrils flaring angrily as she stared at him.

"I'm the Sheriff, Norma. You don't say when we're done. I do."

He was using his patented intimidation tactics, feeling a strange flicker of guilt now he was turning them on her.

"Yeah, exactly, you're the Sheriff." She snapped back immediately, casting her eyes to where his hands were digging in to her upper arms, his grip loosening slightly. "So I don't think you're supposed to be manhandling the witnesses."

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he released her in shock, not expecting her to defy him in the face of his Serious Sheriff routine. She whirled away from him, heading up the stairs at a surprising speed, clicking away from him in her little kitten heels. Thinking about it, he wasn't sure why he thought she'd ever listen to him - She never had before, but, as he stared at the floor, he had a sudden thought, and took off after her.

She was already in her bedroom by the time he caught up to her, already untucking her shirt from her skirt and he watched her for a second before clearing his throat from the doorway. She whirled round to face him, her face dropping, throwing her hands up in defeat.

"Oh god. Do you ever stop?"

"I need your shirt." He said simply, watching as her face screwed up in annoyance at him.

"What? Are you kidding me?"

"No. I need your shirt." He pointed to the blood stain on her cuff. "It's evidence."

She stared at him, her hands on her hips, before casting her eyes incredulously around the room, scoffing at him.

He stared back at her, his expression impassive, and she huffed out an exasperated breath, her hands flying to her top button.

"I didn't mean-" He cast his eyes down to the floor immediately. "You can wait till I... Erm, I'll just wait outside." He bumbled over his words, half turning his body away from her as she made quick work of her buttons.

"No, no! You want it so bad?" She sneered at him, immensely enjoying his discomfort, shimmying the stained shirt off her shoulders and balling it up in her hands. "Here. Take it."

She threw it at him, pleased when it hit him in the face, before dropping to his hands. He finally chanced a glance up at her, a blush colouring his cheeks as she stood in her bra in front of him, apparently unfazed by her state of undress.

"Now get. Out." She enunciated, stalking over to him confidently and reaching to push him backwards, surprised when he grasped her wrist lightly to stop her. Her gaze was drawn to his face as he glared down at her.

"Why do you have to make everything so difficult?" He said quietly, dangerously, managing to keep his eyes trained on her face, not allowing his gaze to drop down to the expanse of pale flesh and pretty peach satin now revealed to him. He tightened his grip on her wrist a little, yanking her even closer towards him, till she could feel the heat radiating off his body.

"I'm not the enemy here, Norma." She gulped, her breathing quickening, her chest heaving and finally he couldn't keep his hungry gaze away a second longer, his eyes drifting down to her breasts and she panicked. She felt sure he could see the outline of the flashdrive against the tight fitting pale satin, and she took a deep breath, reacting before she could talk herself out of it.

She leaned up suddenly, swaying towards him, and crushing her lips against his. She expected him to pull back, to freak out and question her or wrench his lips from hers in surprise, so she was shocked when he kissed her back fiercely, like she was a cold drink of water and he was parched. He kissed her back hungrily, his tongue swiping quickly against her bottom lip, kissing her like he'd been ready and expecting this for weeks. Her hands naturally came up to rest on his shoulders, and his hands wrapped around her waist, warm and rough and calloused against her bare skin.

He shoved her back suddenly against the doorframe and she let out a shrill squeak of surprise, breaking away to stare at him in open mouthed shock for a moment. She just about caught his little smirk at having made the infamous Norma Bates speechless before he was on her again, his hands trailing up and down the curve of her waist, sneaking down to brush round the swell of her ass before trailing back up again, heading towards her chest.

One foot was lifting off the ground, preparing to wrap around his leg, to pull him even closer towards her as he kissed her, moaning softly into his mouth when she froze, suddenly remembering why she was doing this. His hands gently brushed over her breasts, barely making contact when she shoved him back roughly, slamming him back against the doorframe with all her might.

For a second, he chuckled throatily, thinking she was taking control, apparently pleased at her assertive action, before she raised a hand, slapping him as hard as she could across the face. His head snapped to the side, his cheek immediately blooming red and angry and he turned back to her, his mouth dropped open in shock, his fingers drifting up to brush against his throbbing cheek.

"Norma-" He started, through gritted teeth, making a small move towards her, stopping when she flinched back against the doorframe, panting hard, her expression stony and conflicted. "What the-"

"That was sexual harassment, Sheriff." She choked out with false bravado, her uncertain, darting eyes giving away her nerves.

"What?! Norma, you started it!" He said, watching as she leaned back unsteadily against the doorframe. His eyes darted to her chest again and she flinched under his gaze this time, immediately crossing her arms around herself, shielding herself from his prying gaze.

"I think you'll find you started it when you made me take my shirt off."

" _Made you take_..." He muttered disbelievingly. "Jesus, Norma."

"Just go." She murmured, in what she hoped was a fragile voice, casting her eyes down to the floor. It wasn't hard to play the vulnerable, taken-advantage-of woman. It was a part she had been playing her whole life, and she figured Alex was the sort of man who would be scared enough by it to just leave. He was rarely predictable though, and sank to a crouch in front of her, gathering her forgotten shirt from the floor, and then rising to his feet very slowly, crowding her as he did.

He was close to her again, much too close, and she felt a strange little flicker of panic that he wasn't playing along the way she thought he would. She also felt terrified at how much she wanted him to kiss her again, though that wasn't part of the plan.

"Ok. I'll go." He muttered, close enough to her face that she could feel his breath stir her hair. "Don't forget though, you just assaulted a law enforcement officer. I could arrest you right now."

He let his hand brush against the handcuffs at his hip, clinking the metal loudly, pointedly, both their minds flooding with images of the things they could do with those handcuffs.

Her tongue darted out to wet her suddenly dry lips, and his eyes flicked down to her mouth, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips at her reaction to his proximity.

"So arrest me." She whispered back, leaning back against the door, tilting her hips forward, her eyes glowing the wildest, brightest shade of blue he'd ever seen. "I got a dead girl bleeding on my driveway. I don't need your bullshit today, Alex."

She blinked frantically a few times, the rest of her body completely still as his words failed him once again and he could only stare at her. Eventually, she began leaning forwards again and he was sure she was about to kiss him again, his eyes drifting shut for a second. They snapped open as she spoke again, this time right in his ear, her face close enough that he felt her eyelashes graze his cheekbone.

"So either arrest me or get out." He recoiled as if she'd slapped him again, before clearing his throat, rearing away from her like she was a wild animal and he'd only just realised it.

He took a step back, holding her shirt up and averting his gaze again like nothing had happened.

"Thank you, Mrs Bates."

She recrossed her arms across her chest as she watched him hastily retreat across her landing to the stairs.

"No, really. Thank you. You've been **SO** co-operative in helping catch a young woman's killer." He deadpanned at her, and she rolled her eyes, saying nothing, just watching as he left with a stoic expression fixed on her face.

It was only after she heard the door slam shut much too hard, showing his anger at her, that she let out a shaky breath, her legs dropping out from under her as she slid to the floor, slipping the little rectangle of metal and plastic out of her bra. She clutched at it desperately, her other hand coming to brush against her lips, trying to suppress the smile that tugged at her mouth, overwhelmed by all the emotions flooding through her.

It had been the strangest day.


End file.
